7/7

I don’t know why Kick Fight Game’s boxer has Henshin Cyborg’s head.

Maybe they needed to de-brand from Ashita No Joe, and used assets they had on hand. Maybe it was an Easter egg, like the Dianaut, or Microman M17X.

The thing I do know, the important thing… Yes, it fits back on the figure.

And a good time was had by all!

But why talk about Kick Fight Game and its haunting, mysterious face?

The face that refuses to make sense, no matter how hard I stare…

To play, kids set the ring’s 3 second timer and deliver a flurry of kicks, trying to hit their opponent’s unfortunately-placed trigger, before the bell rings.

There were branded tie-ins, like Kamen Rider, and you can see the Ashita No Joe version on the box (though boxing manga seems like an odd choice for a game about KICKING).

This later edition substitutes Joe and Toru with a generic boxer and Muay Thai fighter, instead.

In the 1970’s, “Takara’s American Games” series was a push into the uniquely American novelty board game market.

Many of these were straight ports of Battleship, or the Game of Life, but “Kick Fight Game” was a more unique entry “inspired by” games like Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots.

…anyway, this is Takara’s “Kick Fight Game”, where you kick a guy in the dick until he snaps in half.

Absolutely. It’s nuts how ambitious the designs were, for that scale. You know Microman is 4” tall, but if you’ve only seen pictures of these online, it’s hard to actually process.

It’s just really unfortunate that resulted in them being so fragile.

Yeah, the official name was going to be “Air Attack Predator”.

There was also a “Heavy Infantry Predator” that looks intense. Like frontline soldiers, instead of hunters. It’s a shame.

Tragically, they had some fantastic figures in the works when the line got canceled. Here’s the female Predator.

Shinohara explained he even insisted on the exact same katakana spelling used for Lava Planet Predator, when it was suggested they go with something phonetically easier.

With all this in mind, now those mission-specific themes feel like they marched straight out of the 1990’s Kenner toy catalog.

However, in addition to Desert, Forest, and Night, there was also “Lava Planet”, which seemed like an unusual addition…

Until designer Tamotsu Shinohara gushed about being a huge fan of Kenner’s 1990’s Predator toys (released in Japan by Nomura Toys).

Here’s Lava Planet Predator.

Obnoxiously, I actually corrected all of his errors for the translation. Sorry sir, but I’m not writing “Action Man was created by Patorii in 1983”, you’d have to kill me first.

Meanwhile in anime, this is almost a proud tradition. They just need a couple of beach episodes.

If the thought was to make the series more appealing to Japanese customers, that would be something Takara would take initiative on, and add to the toy line, themselves.

You can see that with Japanese exclusive Transformers, or changing the face for the vintage 12 inch G.I. Joe.

Barely featuring the toys you’re trying to sell, in order to prioritize a bunch of stuff they can’t buy, is a weird way to promote a toy line.

More telling, little to no changes were made in the text Takara was including with the toys, or to the cartoon which was airing in Japan at the time.

I remember David Wise described episodes with that job as “a toy parade”. Everyone just walks onscreen and announces their name, one after another.

Two issues later, Poochie starts using a specially-made super machine gun bazooka.

The comic only lasted six issues, but somehow felt the need to use several original villains, too.

…Meanwhile in America, Larry Hama was being forced to introduce 20 to 30 new figures and vehicles, every year.

Musashi has big fan fiction main character energy. He can totally beat Snake Eyes in a fight, and he has a tragic backstory leading to him refusing to use a gun.

Instead, he attacks with a sword like such a madman, Cobra troopers would rather throw themselves from a moving train than fight him.

This effect takes place over months, or years, not hours. So you can absolutely still enjoy using blast effects for a fun afternoon, or to take some photos. Just be real careful about what you store them with, and don’t leave them displayed on your figures, long term.

6/6